ASUS K8V Deluxe K8T800 Athlon 64 Socket 754 Mainboard Review (1) Bluetooth 13 Nov 2003
Introduction
*Notice : No part of this review
is to be reproduced in any form, reposted, edited, translated into any languages
without the prior permission of OCworkbench.com*
Nowadays, a mainboard is no longer just a mainboard
with overclocking features. Every manufacturer is trying their best to draw more
user base with innovative features implemented on their boards. In fact, we saw
a common trend among the manufacturers. Some implements Exhaust System while
some has Bluetooth, Dual LAN, Gigabit Ethernet etc. This is probably the trend
set by the 1st tier companies. ASUS is one of these companies that came out with
many innovative features that makes board different from the rest.
ASUS K8V Deluxe is one of the most
complete solutions that you can get in the market if you are looking for
something that caters expansion capabilities. The ASUS K8V Deluxe has most
K8T800 board offers with 2 additional SATA ports supporting RAID 0,1, 0+1 using
Promise chipset. The Promise chipset also supports another single channel
ATA133. In this case, you can possibly hook up 2 SATA, 2 ATA133 HD via the
Promise chipset and 4 ATA133 HDD, 2 SATA HD based on the 8237 South Bridge and
the SATA can be RAID too. So, the maximum amount of HDD that you can hook onto
this board is 4 SATA HDD and 6 ATA133 HD.
The most important feature that
differentiates it from its competitors is the
WiFi@Home. The mainboard comes with a proprietary Wi-Fi slot. The Wi-Fi slot
is specifically designed for the ASUS WiFi-bTM add-on card to set up an
environment for home wireless LAN. The ASUS WiFi-bTM add-on card bundles the
exclusive Software AP (access point) to save the extra cost of an actual AP.
In addition, the card comes with user-friendly utilities and applications that
allow quick connection to notebooks, PDAs and other WLAN peripherals. The WiFi
slot supports the 802.11g standard for future upgrades. On top of wireless LAN
connectivitiy, the board also comes equipped with Gigabit Ethernet oport for
instant connection to broadband networks. (Note: The WiFi-bTM card with software
AP has to be purchased separately). There are other features and they are listed
in the specifications below.
AMD Athlon 64
Processor The
AMD Athlon 64 processor is based on AMD64 technology, which represents the
landmark introduction of the industry's first x86-64 technology. This
next-generation processor provides a dramatic leap forward in
compatibility, performance, investment protection, and reduced total cost
of ownership and development.
VIA K8T800 The VIA K8T800
chipset is powering next generation 64-bit compatible platforms based
around the new AMD Athlon 64 processors. The K8T800 combined with the VIA
VT8237 South Bridge enables an unparalleled range of cutting edge I/O and
multimedia features, including an HyperTransport Bus Link, AGP 8X, and
native Serial ATA/RAID.
HyperTransport HyperTransport
technology is a high-speed, low latency, point-to-point link designed to
increase the communication speed between integrated circuits in computers,
servers, embedded systems, and networking and telecommunications equipment
up to 48 times faster than some existing technologies.
ASUS Wi-Fi slot The Wi-Fi slot is specifically designed for the ASUS WiFi-bTM
add-on card to set up an environment for home wireless LAN. The ASUS
WiFi-bTM add-on card bundles the exclusive Software AP (access point) to
save the extra cost of an actual AP.
In addition, the card comes with user-friendly utilities and applications
that allow quick connection to notebooks, PDAs and other WLAN peripherals.
The WiFi slot supports the 802.11g standard for future upgrades.(Note: The
WiFi-bTM card with software AP has to be purchased separately)
Dual SATA RAID The Promise 20378 RAID controller incorporated two Serial ATA and
one parallel connectors with RAID 0, RAID 1 and RAID 0+1 functions while
the VT8237 RAID controller provides another two Serial ATA connectors for
RAID 0 and RAID 1 functions. The K8V is the ideal solution to enhance hard
disk performance and data backup protection without the cost of add-on
cards.
AI NET The AI Series supports Gigabit
LAN by integrating the 3COM 3C940 controller, equipped with a unique
net-diagnosing utility-- VCT (Virtual Cable Tester). The controller
intelligently detects net connection status up to 100 meters from a remote
location and reports the distance of bad cable.
AI BIOS ASUS
POST Reporter During the computer POST (Power On Self-Test), ASUS POST Reporter
provides friendly voice warnings through external speaker, clearly
explaining system errors for quick and easy optimization. The bundled
Winbond Voice Editor software allows users to add customized system voice
warnings and multi-language support.
Q-Fan ASUS Q-Fan technology intelligently adjusts fan speeds according to
system loading to ensure quiet, cool and efficient operation.
ASUS CrashFree
BIOS2 The CrashFree BIOS 2 feature now includes the BIOS auto-recovery
function in a support CD. Users can reboot their system through the
support CD when a bootable disk is not available, and go through the
simple BIOS auto-recovery process.
ASUS motherboards now enable users to enjoy this protection feature
without the need to pay for an optional ROM.
IEEE 1394 interface IEEE 1394 interface provides
high speed digital interface for audio / video appliances such as digital
television, digital video camcorders, storage peripherals & other PC
portable devices.
Instant music Through this unigure feature, ASUS motherboard are conveniently
designed to allow users to enjoy their favorite music, without the need to
enter Windows.
Multi-language BIOS ASUS provides friendly localized BIOS setup menu to help you
configure your system as easy as possible.
ASUS MyLogo2
You can convert your favorite photo into a 256-color boot logo for a more
colorful and vivid image on your screen.
C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall)
When the system hangs due to overclocking failure, there is no need to
open the case to clear CMOS data. Simply restart the system and the BIOS
will automatically restore the CPU default setting for each parameter.
ASUS EZ Flash
With ASUS EZ Flash, you can update BIOS before entering operating system.
No more DOS-based flash utility and bootable diskette required.
S/PDIF-out Port on back I/O (on audio model only)
The K8V's S/PDIF out function turns your computer into a high-end
entertainment system with digital connectivity to powerful speaker
systems.
6 Channel Audio
The K8V Dulxe uses an onboard Audio CODEC that lets you enjoy high-quality
6-channel audio without having to buy advanced sound cards.
USB 2.0 Ready
USB 2.0 is the latest connectivity standard for next generation components
and peripherals. Backward compatible with current USB 1.1 peripherals, USB
2.0 delivers transfer speeds up to 40 times faster at 480Mb/s, for easy
connectivity and ultra-fast data
The
AMD Athlon 64 processor is based on AMD64 technology, which represents the
landmark introduction of the industry's first x86-64 technology. This
next-generation processor provides a dramatic leap forward in
compatibility, performance, investment protection, and reduced total cost
of ownership and development.
The VIA K8T800
chipset is powering next generation 64-bit compatible platforms based
around the new AMD Athlon 64 processors. The K8T800 combined with the VIA
VT8237 South Bridge enables an unparalleled range of cutting edge I/O and
multimedia features, including an HyperTransport Bus Link, AGP 8X, and
native Serial ATA/RAID. 
